


Professional

by Toilichte



Category: Free!
Genre: ADHD, Free Exchange 2017, Getting Together, M/M, Merry Christmas!, Nagisa is a PE teacher, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Nagisa, Rei is a Dance teacher, Teacher AU, dance au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 10:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13144494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toilichte/pseuds/Toilichte
Summary: The school where Rei Ryugazaki works is looking for a new PE teacher. Nagisa Hazuki seems like the perfect candidate.





	Professional

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xyliandra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyliandra/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy!

“And you say you haven’t worked on a job like this before?” Rei glances over the top of his glasses, head aimed towards the application form in front of him but his eyes trailing on the interviewee.

“No sir. I’m fresh out of training.”

“And you’ve got the qualifications to prove it.” Rei’s co-worker flips through the application, nodding his head in admiration, “Impressive. But what makes you think you’ve got the right skills for this school?”

“Well, I’m young myself. I know what it’s like to be in high school and you’ve got to do mandatory physical education lessons. I’m hoping to bring a lively and youthful atmosphere to my classes, where I can get as many students involved as possible while still teaching them to the best of my ability, which is – as you can see – um… pretty good.”

Nagisa - Rei has to consult the application in front of him to make sure of their name - ducks their head as they realise their temporary slip from being professional. Rei can feel them bouncing their foot under the table, yet when they raise their head again he can see that the composure has returned. This is something Rei supposes would be helpful as a teacher: the ability to recover from slip ups quickly.

“You write here that you’re confident in front of large crowds?” Rei prompts, wanting to help this interviewee. All the others have been so desperately boring, and considering they’re all applying for a job in Rei’s department, he wants someone he can at least talk to on their lunch breaks.

Nagisa, taking the support in their stride, nods their head eagerly, “I’m a theatre kid, and a little bit of dance. Musicals in general, I suppose. Not that I’ll have to do any theatre being a P.E teacher and all, but it’s really given me some confidence.”

“You dance?” Rei raises his eyebrows, slipping in the irrelevant question for the satisfaction of his own curiosity.

Having a similarity with one of the interviewers seems to help Nagisa’s anxiety too, although their leg still bounces under the table, “I’ve been in a few musicals. But the groups I was in taught me a little bit about dancing and movement and different styles.” They shrug one shoulder, playing it off, but smile brightly at Rei who opens his mouth to continue this line of conversation.

“Save it for later, you two.” Rei’s older co-worker quips, jovially enough but with a hint of warning to it that Rei knows better than to continue the conversation on during interviewing hours.

Nagisa ducks their head in apology, but continues to smile, “I’m sorry, I got carried away. It’s one of my weak points, I’m very passionate about what I enjoy.”

Rei raises an eyebrow, hiding a grin at their ability to turn a positive into a negative. _Oh, they’re good._ He would say something, but he worries that he’s said enough. Instead, he lets his superior do the talking for the final few minutes.

He checks the application in front of him again, gaze dragging over the neatly printed words to stop at the only part of the page that isn’t within the near perfectly designed application form. There, in the bottom right hand corner: _I prefer they/them/their, thank you in advance_.

Rei glances back up at Nagisa, watching them explain their practise lesson that they had in mind for an introduction. They make eye contact which each of the interviewers, making sure to establish a connection. When they glance at Rei, however, they stumble over their words – even just for a second – and look away, smiling softly.

After the interview concludes and the people at the table rise to shake hands, Rei makes sure to smile warmly at Nagisa, squeezing their hand softly.

“It was genuinely so nice to meet you, Nagisa. I hope we get the chance to talk again.”

Nagisa chuckles warmly, nodding their head eagerly. “Me too, and not just so I can get this job. I really would like to talk to you again.”

“We’ll do our best.” Rei flashes them a grin before saying his goodbyes.

  

* * *

 

 

_It’s down to you, Rei. We’ve had a discussion about who we want but we’re still split 50/50._

Rei stares at his computer screen, fingers hovering over the keys. He’ll admit it, he wasn’t too involved in the discussion earlier, something he puts down to being completely stuck. He’s been home for three hours now, thinking over the possible candidates for the job. One part of his mind tells him to pick the one with the most experience, a middle aged man who recently moved into the neighbourhood and had previously worked in another high school as a Physical Education teacher. He’s a good fit, but incredibly boring to listen to. Rei nearly fell asleep listening to him drone on about how much experience he’s had in the past, and how many successful sports days he’s hosted. The other candidate is Nagisa. Although they don’t have nearly as much real life experience, they’re still passionate and enthusiastic about getting the students involved. Personally, Rei would love to work with Nagisa. Having a classroom just across the hall from them would be perfect, they could talk just like they said they would. Rei could show them around the school and maybe even ask them about some of the performances they’ve been in--

Rei leans back and pushes his hands through his hair, watching as his co-worker begins typing again. They stop, restart, and stop again before finally sending a single message.

_Are you ready yet, Rei? We need to make this decision soon._

Quickly. The one who’s most experienced, or the one who’s most passionate? Out of the two, it’s clear who he’d rather spend time with, but--

He closes his eyes, sighing heavily and tilting his head back. Is he really going to let his decision be influenced by a crush?

Of course he is.

He leans forwards, typing out his message quickly with shaking hands.

_I think Hazuki is the better candidate. I’m sure we will see a clear rise in involvement when it comes to their classes._

Rei leans back, taking a deep breath as he sends the message. A sort of adrenaline courses through him instead of the guilt he expected to feel. Within the next term, he’ll be _working_ with Nagisa. This term couldn’t finish fast enough.

 

* * *

 

 

At 8am on the first day of the new term, Rei hovers around the door of the gym hall. His hand rests against the metal handle, debating whether or not to go ahead and open the door or just return silently to his own class. Even if he doesn’t see Nagisa now, he’ll get the chance to talk to them later. Even so, he wants to wish them good luck on their first day.

Taking a deep breath, he pushes against the door, only to have it fly open as Nagisa pulls it from the other side. With a soft cry, Rei stumbles forwards and comes to a stop directly in front of Nagisa.

It’s been so long since he first saw them, but his heart clenches more so. Their hair, while previously framing their face, is tied up to keep the loose hairs from bothering them. Due to the length, a few strands hang loose while others are pinned up by various multi-coloured hair pins. They’re wearing a baggy shirt which masks their figure, but Rei thinks they look equally adorable anyway. In his distant trance, Rei forgets to speak in order to say hello.

“Rei?” They sound amused, albeit a little surprised, “What are you doing here?”

Rei opens his mouth like goldfish and shuts it again quickly, struggling for words. He’s not usually this shy, but he wants to make a good impression on the new teacher. “I’m- I’m just in the room across from yours.” He gestures behind him loosely, “So I thought I’d come across and wish you luck on your first day. Give me a shout if you’re lost or anything like that.”

Nagisa smiles at him warmly, nodding their head and leaning against the door. “Thank you, I’ll probably take you up on your offer at some point. I can barely find the staff offices.”

“Hey, if you want to come across at lunch, I’d be more than happy to show you the way.”

Nagisa cracks a smile and raises an eyebrow up at him, “What time is lunch at?”

Rei knows they’re teasing, the bell rings for lunch every single day, but he takes the question seriously and checks his watch as if he doesn’t know the break times by heart. “Twelve thirty. It’s an hour long break.”

“Guess I’ll meet you then.” Nagisa’s soft voice brings Rei’s attention back to their face. They’re smiling softly, all signs of teasing gone. “I promise I won’t be late. Or at least I’ll try my best.”

“Y-yeah. I’ll be on time too. And hopefully there’ll be no detentions.”

Nagisa grins at him before moving past to walk down the corridor, leaving Rei alone to swing against the gym door absentmindedly. This is going to be a long, long term.

 

* * *

 

 

At lunch, Rei dismisses his class and moves over to the mirror, running his hands through his messy hair in an attempt of pushing it back into a style that looks in the slightest bit tidy. His muscles ache from the physical strain of demonstrating the postures and the movements of ballet. He loves it though; alongside ballroom dancing, ballet is his favourite. There’s something about the fluidity and the gracefulness behind both dances that draws Rei in. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t love all forms of dance, there’s fun to be found in the enthusiasm of swing dance or even in the sheer energy in street dance. There’s not a single dance that Rei won’t try, nor will not enjoy himself while doing it.

He flashes himself a grin in the mirror – an attempt at settling his nerves – when the door swings open behind him. He quickly shuts his mouth out of fear of looking like an idiot and stands up straight. There’s Nagisa in the doorway, looking flushed and exhausted. He watches them take a glance around the large dance hall before spotting Rei at the ballet bars.

“Hey! Sorry, the game went on longer than I imaged.”

“It’s not a problem,” Rei reassures, turning around, “students always like to have closure when it comes to sports, right? Need to know who the winner is.”

Nagisa chuckles and nods their head, leaning back against the door and wiping their forehead with a fluffy black towel. “And me. I got into it too. How was your class?”

“Fantastic.” Rei beams at them brightly, crossing to meet them at the door and gesturing them out. “Ballet classes. Amazing to teach, amazing to watch, hell to actually perform. I’m exhausted.”

“I’ll bet. You look like you’ve got the power for it though.” Nagisa compliments without looking behind him. It seems passive but laced with potential, at least in Rei’s eyes. All Rei can do is watch as they disappear back into their room and return with a small bag. As he opens his mouth to respond, Nagisa beats him to it, “Tell me if I’m going in the wrong direction. There’s too many hallways. It’s so easy to get lost!”

Rei watches them, still a little lost for words. “Yeah… Yeah you’re right. I’ll keep an eye out, don’t worry.”

He guides Nagisa to the staff room, gesturing to important rooms on the way in case they’ll ever need to use one of them. When they arrive, Nagisa moves straight to one of the sofa’s and settles down with their bag from which he pulls out a small packed lunch. Rei joins them after taking his lunch from the staff room fridge.

“Now we get the chance to, please tell me about yourself, Rei.”

Rei looks up from his food and hums in question, eyebrow raised. “Me? Uh… There isn’t really much to say I suppose. I’m a dance teacher and I’ve been working here for about two years now. The last P.E teacher was…” Rei lets out a chuckle and shakes his head. “Difficult, to say the least. Wasn’t a fan of me, I don’t think.”

Nagisa tuts, but Rei can see that they’re smiling. “They missed out. You seem lovely.”

Rei keeps his eyes on his cereal bar, trying to fight the rising heat in his cheeks. “Thank you, although I do keep to myself quite a fair amount.” He clears his throat and looks up to Nagisa, hoping to change the conversation quickly. “Well, what about yourself?”

Nagisa hums and glances up at the ceiling, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. Rei’s eyes dart down to the defined muscle of their thighs and forces himself to look back up again. He refuses to be the guy who hits on his new co-worker on the first day. Instead, he focuses on Nagisa’s face, eager to hear what they have to say.

“Well… Sports was what I was good at in school- I mean! Don’t get me wrong, I could do other subjects and I was really good at them, but I hate taking tests.” Nagisa looks up at Rei, making sure it’s clear to him. Rei understands his role and nods his head, prompting Nagisa to go on. “I was really proactive in classes but when it would come to tests I just… couldn’t. Sitting in a room for hours on end staring at a piece of paper was just torture for me. I’d lock up after seeing the first question and I just couldn’t wait to leave. I excelled in sports and theatre though. The practical side anyway. I had so much fun getting involved and working with other people. I actually did really well in the written tests too! Because I could…” Nagisa scratches the back of their head, cutting themselves off. “Sorry, that’s a bit too heavy for a first meeting, I won’t throw it on you now.”

Rei shakes his head, finding himself drawn in to listening to Nagisa’s soft voice. “Don’t feel bad, I really don’t mind.”

Nagisa glances up at him, as if checking for any signs of a joke. When they find none, they smile and return their gaze down to the floor. “Another time, perhaps. I don’t want you to think any less of me when I do say it. I wanna prove myself first.”

A hearty chuckles escapes Rei’s throat and he clamps a hand over his mouth. He shakes his head until he’s able to regain composure. “Nagisa. You don’t have to _prove_ yourself. First of all, I like you as a person, which is why I wanted you to work here, and secondly, your application showed that you’re already _incredibly_ capable.”

Nagisa beams up at him, seeming to cheer up a little. “Well… I’m glad I gave off a good impression! I was a little unsure I would get this job, if I’m honest, but I’m lucky that I’ve got some really good friends back home that have been super supportive.”

“Oh yeah? I’m glad to hear that.”

Nagisa seems to smile inwardly, the way they tilt their head down yet their lips still curl in a soft and subtle smile. “Yeah. Rin and Kou. They’re siblings and let me tell you, they’re two people who are fantastic at getting you motivated to do things. They check up on me from time to time. Rin especially.”

Rei watches them, biting his lip with mild worry. Although the wording concerns him, he doesn’t want to pry – especially when they’ve known each other for less than a day.

“Just know that if you ever need anything else. I’m here too. Yeah?”

Nagisa glances up at him, eyebrow raised as if scrutinising how true it is. After a second or two, they nod and smile softly. “Yeah. Thank you, Rei.”

 

* * *

 

 

They meet for lunch each day after that, sometimes staying in one of their classrooms if they can’t be bothered to move to the cafeteria. It did not go unnoticed by the students either – by the second week, rumours were already flying about the two teachers who seemed to get along from the get go.

They did have discussions about it, but these discussions consisted mainly of stumbling over words and loosely gesturing hands explaining: “Of course our relationship is a professional one! Yes, we get along well but that doesn’t mean we like each other! Can you imagine? We’re co-workers!” This, of course, would nearly always be followed up by Rei being caught up in his own thoughts in his next classes; he would constantly find himself thinking about if he actually meant his words or they’re just an attempt to cover up what he knows he feels.

When Nagisa started to use the desk in the corner of his classroom to mark their practical work and plan their future lessons, Rei’s students started to notice a change in their teacher. Enough to start a discussion.

A couple of Rei’s favourite students, who would often talk to him after classes, decided to check up on him later in the term as the holidays crept closer. Choosing the Friday afternoon as the time to strike, they waited until Nagisa had slipped back to their own classroom to take a phone call before approaching their teacher.

“We don’t mean to be rude, Sir, but something seems up.”

Rei raises an eyebrow up at them from his desk, pushing his glasses back up his nose. He’s ready to be defensive. “What do you mean?”

His two students glance at each other, one sharing a worrying look at the other as if to tell him to stop. The warning is ignored however, as the student turns back to Rei and clears his throat. “You seem a little distracted in class. We’re just worried that there’s something wrong.”

Rei looks between them, knowing they’re not the type to openly accuse him of wanting to have a relationship with another teacher in the school. They’re much too respectful to tease him about the possibility either. He doesn’t have to get stern with them.

“I’m fine, but thank you two for checking up on me. My apologies for allowing myself to be distracted.” Rei smiles at the both of them, nodding his head in thanks. “You don’t have to worry about me, worry about yourselves! Your mocks are coming up, aren’t they?”

He changes the subject as he rises, grinning down at the two. They nod, seeming happier that their teacher isn’t as upset as they once thought.

“Now, off you go, before you miss the last bus.” He waves them off before turning to face the mirror and sighing. It’s getting tiring, all of this tiptoeing around.

After a moment, Rei laughs despite himself, noting the irony in his words as he moves over to the radio to restart his routine consisting mainly of tiptoeing. Settling himself down, Rei places his glasses down on top of the speaker, rubs his tired eyes and pushes his hair back out of his face in preparation.

It’s just a dance that he’s been practising, not for any purpose other than to have something to do, but he has been messing with the idea of possibly entering a competition with it – maybe. He still hasn’t decided, doesn’t know if he has the confidence to show off a full routine to a large crowd of people. Other than classes, Rei never shows his routines to people in their entirety and is even really only comfortable with showing segments so that others may copy and learn the technique bit by bit. It’s not even like he could enter his dance as any particular style. Rei _thinks_ it counts as contemporary, but with so many aspects of ballet, he couldn’t bear the thought of entering a competition to be told that he doesn’t even qualify. No thank you. He doesn’t need that embarrassment.

With a sigh, Rei sets his song to repeat and moves back into position in front of the mirror. It barely takes him a second to fall into the same routine he always follows when he dances.

Deep breaths. Focus. Thoughtless apart from the different muscles in his body; the control.

Rei follows the melody, each note of the song acting as a cue for his movements, his directions and his tensions to change. Follow the flow of his body. Where gravity leads him, he’ll follow – only allowing himself to fight against the pull in order to tense for a turn. When he leaps into the air, he feels weightless; hopes he looks weightless too but he doesn’t dare look in the mirror. Not yet. Rei’s still not comfortable with this routine and couldn’t bear the look of himself in the mirror if he looked ridiculous. He knows it’s not the way to do it, and it’s definitely not the way he teaches his students, but for his own personal benefit, he lets it pass.

Turn after turn, movement after movement, Rei lets the music teach him which step is next. It’s slow, exhausting but easy at the same time. He lets himself fall into a final pace, holding his arms out in front of him as he turns on the spot in a collection of graceful pirouettes. He comes to a stop as the music fades, heart pounding and muscles aching from the control. It’s a feeling he loves, and he’ll never get bored of.

Slowly opening his eyes, he spots a blob of gold that his blurry eyes can’t quite make out in the mirror. Blinking a couple of times - and connecting the dots in his head - he comes to the realisation that Nagisa’s sat on the floor at the other end of the hall, phone in hand – aimed directly at Rei. They beam brightly when they see that Rei is done and immediately drop the phone onto the mats beside them to clap enthusiastically.

“Rei! That was _amazing_! How long have you been working on that for?”

Rei doesn’t respond to their question right away, face burning and heart pounding. He looks back to the phone, barely managing to bring his voice above a squeak, “Did you just--”

Nagisa too glances down at their phone and back to Rei, “Oh! Yes, sorry I took a video to show to my friend but I haven’t sent it yet.”

Rei approaches them, each muscle tensed with nerves. In the background, his playlist continues to run through his collection of random songs but he barely cares at this point. This is much more important.

Rei crouches down in front of Nagisa, eyes darting to the phone and hands shaking as he holds one out to Nagisa. “Can I see it? At least… to see if it’s worth sending?”

Of course Rei has no plans of letting Nagisa send it. As soon as he gets the phone, he plans to delete it, then he’ll ask Nagisa politely to take no more videos and leave it at that. But when enthusiastic hands pass him the phone and he rewatches the video, Rei has second thoughts. Firstly, he doesn’t know if it’s because Nagisa’s gazing at him with such admiration, or if it’s because the comments flowing out of their mouth at such a rapid speed are so honest, so kind and sweet that it hurts his heart. That’s _Rei_ that they’re talking about, giving the amateur (at least in his mind) dancer the best bout of feedback he’s ever received in his life. What does it matter if one more person gets to see Rei’s routine? If Nagisa truly believes that he’s _that_ good, if they’re really that passionate about his routine and wants to share it with their friend, would it be worse to stop them from doing so?

Is that a vain thing to think?

Rei doesn’t let himself get stuck on that thought for too long before he passes back their phone with a steadier hand and smiles gently at Nagisa, feeling the nerves from before morph from ones fearful about his routine, to just general nerves from talking to the sweetest person alive. “Thank you for picking a good angle.” He jokes gently, sitting cross legged in front of them.

“Who is it you’re sending it to?”

“Oh, just Rin. I told him how good you are at dancing and he wanted to see.” Nagisa lets out a soft giggle, looking down at the floor as they reach up to let their hair down. “I’ll tell you his response when he sees it.”

Rei nods slowly, watching them ruffle their fluffy hair back into place before they grab their phone out of their lap and send the video. Dread settles in Rei’s stomach but he does his best to ignore it. “How long are you staying after school?” Rei mumbles to them, eager to change the conversation and distract himself.

Nagisa glances up from their phone, humming in thought. “I don’t know… I was planning on hanging out with you for a bit but if you’re busy dancing I’ll probably head home now. I would try and get all of my things sorted in my classroom but I just can’t- my focus keeps going, you know? I like having you in the room.”

Rei balks and Nagisa immediately leaps to explain. “Wait, let me explain! It doesn’t cure me or anything! But you’re calming. You don’t get me stressed and you’re easy to talk to…” They bite their lip, glancing away.

Rei shuffles so he’s sat a little closer to them, but now has to stoop a little so he’s eye to eye with Nagisa. He can sense from the change in Nagisa’s posture that they’re a little uneasy talking about it. “Hey, it’s alright. Go ahead and say what you want to say.”

Nagisa scratches the back of their head, dragging their gaze back to Rei. “I’m on medication for ADHD and I don’t really like to talk about it too much because I don’t want to let it define me but sometimes things get really overwhelming; like workloads, or when I can hear the kids outside yelling. It makes me-” Nagisa shakes their head quickly, biting their lip so hard Rei worries they’ll draw blood. “I don’t enjoy it, but I get frustrated and really angry. There are days when I have to try _really_ hard not to yell at my students when things build up too much. On the complete other side of that, there are days when I just have too much energy. I _have_ to get involved because watching from the sidelines makes me anxious and I start to get fidgety. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen me in my classes…”

Nagisa trails off but Rei knows exactly what they’re talking about. He had to grab an extra mat from Nagisa’s room one day and entered to see them anxiously hovering by the back wall, following their netball game closely by side stepping up and down the court as the ball moved back and forth from person to person. Rei assumed at the time that it was just involvement in the game that was making them so on edge, but it now begins to dawn on him that it was necessary to Nagisa’s comfort. He nods to notify Nagisa of his understanding.

“Anyway… back to my meds. I forget to take them a lot of the time but Rin and Kou are fantastic. It’s like they’ve got an inkling, Rin especially, and I’ll get a message like ‘you taken your meds?’ and a majority of the time he’s right and I’d have _completely_ forgotten and he can tell I’m getting antsy.” They take a deep breath to stop themselves from talking too fast, and Rei can’t help but notice that it seemed like they were holding this in for a long time.

“Rin helped me get this job. I had no motivation after I graduated but Rin and Kou looked out for me. I went through a super rough patch where I just wasn’t getting out of bed on time for anything and Rin practically kicked my ass into gear.” Nagisa begins to snort with laughter, covering their mouth and closing their eyes. “Rin can be fucking terrifying, let me start with that. But terrifying in the nicest way. Him and his sister dealt with all of my shit and then helped me get the help I needed to deal with my own shit.”

Nagisa clears their throat, dropping their hand back into their lap. “You know, for a person who said they didn’t want to talk about it, I sure did just talk your ear off, didn’t I?”

Rei chuckles gently, shaking his head. He managed to keep up well with Nagisa’s fast talking, and couldn’t help the feeling of happiness that Nagisa trusts him enough to talk to him about it. “I don’t mind. I know it always helps me to talk and there’s no way I’m going to stop you talking about yourself.” He reaches forwards, patting Nagisa’s knee comfortingly. “If you ever need me to help you with anything, just give me a shout. You know I’m just across the hall from you.”

He watches the corner of Nagisa’s mouth curl into that small smile again and beams himself, squeezing Nagisa’s knee. “How are you feeling at the moment?”

“Antsy.” Nagisa replies, honestly. They look up to Rei’s face and shrug a shoulder weakly. “I mean, happy enough, but antsy. I’ve got to get moving soon or I’m worried I’m gonna get stressed. I might go play some--”

“Dance with me.”

Nagisa pauses mid-sentence, mouth half open as they take in what Rei just proposed. “But- I don’t dance _that_ well.”

“Then let me teach you. I mean, I’ve got to practise anyway and if you’re staying with me it gives me an excuse to practise partner dancing. It’s not too difficult either, I promise.”

Nagisa mulls it over for a second before nodding their head, moving their phone to the side and forcing themselves up onto their feet. “Alright then, teach me how to dance.”

Rei grins, pulling himself up too and moving swiftly to his phone. “I’ll teach you some ballroom. I’ve got a module on it next term and I’ve been meaning to catch up on my Waltz.”

Behind him, Nagisa chuckles cheerily. “I can do a bit of Waltzing. I know the basics.”

“Perfect. We’ll start with those basics then and build up from there. You okay to start straight away?”

He changes the song, turning to smile at Nagisa who’s already waiting for him in the middle of the room. “Yup! Ready when you are!”

Rei hums as he approaches Nagisa, holding out his hand. “You don’t mind if I lead?”

Nagisa thinks for a second, holding out their hands in front of them as if to lead before shifting their posture and frowning. They move their hand into the follow position and nod enthusiastically, “I can do this!”

Rei chuckles and takes Nagisa’s hand softly in his own before settling his other hand on their shoulder blade, allowing Nagisa to rest their arm atop Rei’s. They match his comfortable yet graceful positioning almost skilfully – arching their back and relaxing their shoulders.

“You comfortable?” Rei asks Nagisa gently, squeezing their soft hand lightly. When he receives a nod in response, he gently leads Nagisa through the first few beats, counting them in with a soft low voice so as not to sound forceful or controlling; Rei wants to do this for fun, even if he’s supposed to be practising in order to teach this to his class. In order to make it enjoyable, it needs to be so for both of them – not just him. Rei glances down, catching sight of Nagisa mouthing the beats as they look down at their feet. Usually, Rei would chastise his students for staring at the floor while dancing, but Nagisa’s _focused_ , and that’s the aim. He watches Nagisa, fading out his counts until the soft music and their gentle steps are the only things heard in the room.

Nagisa is beautiful.

Rei can’t deny himself the thought any longer. Not now while he’s gazing at the side of their concentrated face, gentle features barely marred by the effort. Rei never noticed it before, but Nagisa has a light dusting of freckles over their cheeks and over the bridge of their nose; the amount of little features that Rei never noticed until the performance of this unprofessional Waltz is astounding and – due to this – he couldn’t be less concerned about the level at which this Waltz is performed. They both could be slumped and lazy with their steps as long as Rei could behold beauty like this again.

Caught up in thought, Rei doesn’t realise it until too late that Nagisa turned their head to look at him. Their eyes connect and Rei is stunned, lost for words at both the embarrassment of being caught and the sweet look of content on Nagisa’s round face.

He mumbles through the first words that come to mind.

“Are- are you having fun?”

The corners of Nagisa’s lips quiver again and they nod once, dissolving into a giggle as they close their eyes. “You’re so easy to dance with. I don’t feel like I’m being dragged around or if I’m dragging you. We dance at the same pace. It’s peaceful.”

Rei can’t help but smile himself, leading Nagisa around his large dance hall with this simple yet intimate waltz.

“I think so too.”

 

* * *

 

 

Later, after moving on from twirls and whirls to a full-but-short routine, Rei restarts the music and meets Nagisa in the centre of the room again. Of course there are things wrong with the scenario – the lack of professional outfits, for one – but to Rei, it’s perfect. He takes Nagisa’s hand, placing his own on their shoulder blade again before leading them into the dance. Together they swoop through the room like waves, twisting around each other like vines and when Rei turns Nagisa under his arm, it’s like watching a music-box ballerina in all their delicate glory.

Rei feels pride rush through him at their achievements, and when he places his arm around Nagisa’s waist to lift them in a graceful turn, he doesn’t mind that their arm rests a little too heavily on his shoulders; the weight is so easily balanced by shifting his hip slightly to support Nagisa that Rei can’t help but think that they were made for each other – to dance like this.

He places Nagisa down softly, careful not to drop them before leading them around the hall once more. He twists Nagisa under his arm as the music begins to wane, moving so Nagisa’s arms are over their own body with their back to Rei’s chest. They sway gently, music fading until there’s no sound left but the thumping of Rei’s heart in his chest.

They stay that way for longer than they should, relishing in the success of the routine and the comfort of the other until Nagisa breaks the silence. “Rei?”

Rei opens his eyes that he didn’t even know he closed, hands still clasped around Nagisa’s tightly. “Yeah? What’s up?”

Nagisa’s silent for a second, and Rei can feel the tension hanging between them. “If…”

Rei hums in question, expecting them to continue. Neither move from the others’ comfort.

“If what?” He prompts when they remain silent.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Finally, and torturously, Nagisa pulls away and practically marches to Rei’s desk, grabbing their keys from next to their bag. “I need to lock up. Wait for me and we can leave together.”

Rei, stunned, nods once as he watches Nagisa make for the door without looking back. When they’re gone, he turns to his desk, confusion and disappointment coursing through his brain. As much as he wished something could have happened, perhaps it’s for the best. Co-worker relationships never work out. Right?

Rei sighs and picks up his diary off of his desk to drop it into his bag when he hears his phone buzz. He turns to grab it without realise till too late that it’s not his phone; on the lock screen are four texts from a name he’s definitely heard before.

_(15:38) Rin: What time you meeting us for dinner at tonight?_  
(16:03) Rin: Nagi? Hello?  
(16:04) Rin: Wait. Are you still there with him?  
(17:23) Rin: Jeez, Nagi. Just ask him already. If he spends this much with you he’s got to like you at least a little I’m sure xx

Rei’s heart thumps in his chest, doing an odd little twist that makes him feel sick to his stomach. Don’t get him wrong, he’s _ecstatic_. The problem is the awful feeling that he’s read something that he wasn’t supposed to know yet. Rei has no idea how to bring it up with Nagisa, or even if he’s got the right idea—

“Rei, have you seen my--?” The door bursts open and Rei practically leaps out of his skin.

Nagisa stares at him from the doorway and there’s no chance for Rei to hide the offending evidence. “You’re holding it. Why are you holding my phone?”

“I- uh- it’s just that-”

Nagisa approaches him at top walking speeds, face showing that they’re clearly guilty of something. Within seconds, the phone is no longer in Rei’s hands and is instead being scrutinized by Nagisa’s frantic eyes.

“Oh…”

Rei chews his lip, not knowing what to say or do as Nagisa glances up with an embarrassed expression. They both know what they’ve read. It’s undeniable.

“Nagisa…”

Too late. Nagisa grabs their bag and turns, already aiming straight for the door again. Rei can only catch a glance of their face burning a bright red before they’re marching away and he begins to panic that Nagisa’s tense shoulders are only an implication of how they’re going to react once out of the room.

“Nagisa! Wait!” Rei kicks himself into gear, launching forward to grab Nagisa’s arm and spin them back to face him. Heartbreakingly, Rei can see the embarrassed tears, clear as day, on Nagisa’s cheeks.

“I’m trying not to yell at you! I mean I- Please don’t- I’m so sorry, Rei. Please ignore what you read. Forget you saw it--”

“I don’t _want_ to forget, Nagisa. And you can yell at me as much as you like. _I’m_ the one that’s sorry for reading your messages. I didn’t mean to, I mistook it for my own phone. I’m not angry at you though. I’m not upset either. Nagisa, I’m _happy._ ” During his attempt to ease Nagisa’s worries, he moves his hands from their arm to their cheeks, wiping the fresh tears away with his thumbs.

Nagisa just stares, dumbstruck. Slowly – as if coming to the realisation – they place their hand over one of Rei’s, brows furrowing. “Happy? You’re… happy?”

“Over the moon.” Rei responds softly, stooping to look Nagisa directly in the eyes. His heart pounds with nerves but he doesn’t allow himself to be censored. Not now.

He doesn’t have time to worry about things he’s said – Nagisa’s already on him as if they’re still dancing and this is just another lift except, this time, they’ve decided that kissing is an acceptable dance move.

Rei’s not about to complain though. Instead, he wraps both arms around Nagisa’s back and arches his own, supporting Nagisa’s weight on his chest. He would appreciate the gracefulness of their pose – one of Nagisa’s legs poised straight with the other bent at the knee delicately while both of their hands find themselves tangled in Rei’s hair – but he’s too busy appreciating the softness of Nagisa’s lips against his own.

When Nagisa slips down to the floor, Rei is left dumbstruck with his eyes still closed as if sure that he’s dreaming. It’s only when he hears Nagisa’s gentle giggle that he knows it’s real.

“I’m sorry about that. I just- impulses, you know?”

“Yeah.” Rei breathes his response, but it doesn’t feel enough. “I- I mean yes. I completely understand, and in no way am I complaining.”

Nagisa dissolves into giggles again before recovering enough to gaze up at Rei’s face. “Hey… uh- if you’re free tonight, do you wanna join me at that dinner thing with Rin?”

“Dinner with your friends? I think I’d enjoy that very much.” Rei grins at them brightly, nodding his head eagerly as he recovers from his astonishment.

“Pack your bag then, meet me outside and I’ll have my car ready.”

 

* * *

 

 

Months later, Rei waits for Nagisa in their hallway, wearing his best clothes and standing at the bottom of Nagisa’s stairs. Rin hovers behind him too with his hands in his pockets, rocking back onto his heels.

“I’ll be there in a second, babe! Just give me a mo!”

Rei laughs to himself softly, raising an eyebrow at Rin over his shoulder. He knows from Rin’s blank expression that he’s about to say something.

“It’s not just ‘Babe’ thank you very much. I’m here too.”

Nagisa gasps and sticks their head over the banister, beaming. “Rei! You brought Rin as well?”

Rei grins up at them and nods his head once. “Of course I did. You said you wanted everyone to be together for Christmas, did you not? Kou’s waiting in the car and then we’ll go to the restaurant from there.”

Nagisa squeals with delight, bouncing down the stairs with their hair pinned up with red hair clips. It reminds Rei of their first day working together.

“Festive.” Rei comments jovially as Nagisa bounces into his arms. He kisses them on the top of the head before taking their hand. “You got everything?”

Nagisa nods their head, beaming brightly as Rin opens the door for the both of them, gesturing to Kou in the car that they’re ready to go.

“Are you staying over tonight?” Nagisa taps Rei’s hand gently with their fingers as they walk, something Rei’s used to feeling by this point in their relationship.

Rei chuckles softly, opening the door for them and stooping low to talk once they’re in. “Of course. I wanna see your expression when you open my gift. And- I mean, I wanna see you _anyway_ so it’s a kind of two for one deal that I won’t pass up on.”

Nagisa laughs warmly, taking a hold of Rei’s smart tie and tugging gently, “Just hurry up and get in, it’s cold.”

Rei grins as he complies, sliding into the seat next to Nagisa and wrapping an arm around them to keep them warm. “Whatever you want.”

 

Temporary forgetting their company, Nagisa leans up to kiss Rei though peals of soft laughter while Rin and Kou share a mutual eye roll and a quiet chuckle in the front seats.

“I’m telling you, Rin. I’m buying a taxi so I can roll up the partition when those two get sappy.”

“Fifty-fifty split?” Rin raises an eyebrow at Kou, giving her a toothy smile. Kou mulls over the offer for a moment before holding out her fist. Rin barks out a laugh and gently bumps his own fist against Kou’s.

“Deal. You know I’m holding you to that now?” Kou winks at her brother as she starts up the engine, ignoring the two in the backseat while Rin glances back with a half-smile. No matter how much he jokes, he couldn’t be happier for his best friend.

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Let’s just get outta here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this one, especially the research and looking into the different types of dance. Personally, I used First Love by Adele for Rei's single dance and a range of different songs for their Waltz, but it's open to interpretation and personal favourite songs. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, I hope it has been great!
> 
> Toil


End file.
